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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Nina Cohen

After nearly 40 years of living and working in South Jersey, which included years of involvement in the Jewish Community, it was membership in Impact100 SJ that led Nina Cohen to realize there was much about South Jersey that she did not know. She shared that, “becoming a member offered me the opportunity to learn about and meet others in the region’s nonprofit and philanthropic community and connect with a broader circle of women to support causes in South Jersey.

As Director of Endowment & Foundation Advisory at Glenmede, Nina and her team manage investments and advise nonprofits and foundations and also guide individuals and families in creating their philanthropic missions and strategies. Her professional world is an extension of Nina’s personal commitment to philanthropy and becoming a member of Impact100 was a perfect fit for her on many levels. In 2017, while serving on the steering committee for the Women in Nonprofit Leadership Conference in Philadelphia, she met Patti Withington, a founding member of Impact100 SJ and learned about the formation of the new chapter. She knew about the collective giving model from her professional life and was immediately interested in joining a group in her community. The benefits of Nina’s membership are great for both her and for the organization. Impact100 has introduced her to so many wonderful nonprofits that she can now support personally and can include in her portfolio of organizations to share with clients, and to a network of women she has embraced on a personal and professional level.

For Impact100 SJ, Nina’s involvement on the Financial Review Committee, as Sponsorship Chair, and on the Leadership Council has been invaluable. Using her expertise, she helped set up the criteria for the initial financial review process, create a sponsorship program to help keep member funds fully committed to grants and to educate businesses in the area about Impact100, and is a key voice in setting the organization’s strategy as a Leadership Council member and Co-Chair of its DEI Taskforce. 

Nina’s bio paints a picture of a philanthropic life. She was raised by parents of modest means, yet they modeled charitable principles as part of their family life. As a young woman, Nina pursued a degree in social work. That work led her to develop a deep understanding of the challenges faced by families of children with disabilities. She went on to earn a law degree from University of Pennsylvania and practiced special needs, tax, and estate planning law. As the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Foundation for several years, she advised donors on creating their charitable legacies.  Nina’s current role at Glenmede meshes her legal knowledge and experience with her passion for giving back to the community. Philanthropy is woven throughout her life and legacy and she has passed that on to her children and grandchildren.  

Outside of her work, Nina continues to be a part of many vital organizations serving on the boards of Exponent Philanthropy and Philanthropy Network of Greater Philadelphia, the Jewish Family and Children’s Service Advisory Board, and the investment committee of Ruth and Raymond Saltzman Foundation. Her “spare time” is spent with her large family. Nina and her husband, Karl, raised their 6 children in Cherry Hill and are now blessed with 10 grandchildren. Since they are scattered across the country (GA, DC, NJ, PA, WA) and in Israel, she and her husband spend plenty of time traveling when there isn’t a pandemic to consider.  This summer, Nina feels grateful that she has been able to be at the beach in Margate where she can work while they wait to resume trips to visit their children and grandchildren.